


Mile High Flights of Fancy

by alohdark



Category: Daredevil (TV), Marvel (Comics)
Genre: Frank is a pilot, M/M, Matt is just a lawyer, Non-powered AU
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-07-01
Updated: 2017-07-01
Packaged: 2018-11-22 03:52:59
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,760
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11372016
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/alohdark/pseuds/alohdark
Summary: Frank was a pilot in the service but has been forced to become a pilot for a company that provides aerial tours of NYC. The only good thing about his job was being able to fly again. That is, until a man named Matthew Murdock shows up for a tour.





	Mile High Flights of Fancy

**Author's Note:**

> So I just went to an air show today and I just could not resist writing an AU with Frank as a pilot. And since I literally got home, cleaned up and then wrote this, this is incredibly unbetad. I'll fix it up when I can but I'm already running behind for dinner and I just wanted to get this up ASAP because the air show was SO COOL. And I love Frank and Matt SO MUCH.

Frank hated his job. 

He would have quit ages ago but the only way he could fly anymore was for this little tourist company providing tours over New York City. The only time he ever truly felt alive and like he was whole was when he was in the air. He’d never be able to afford to keep his own plane, so he bit his tongue and smiled for the customers and flew someone elses plane. 

Frank knew he was given the shittier reservations. The groups that were unlikely to tip very well, and sometimes didn’t tip at all. He wasn’t in it for the money, though, so he was fine with this. But he narrowed his eyes and frowned, believing he was being pranked.

“Can I help you sir?” Frank asked, walking towards the man wearing dark suit pants with a light blue button up, sleeves rolled up and the top two buttons undone. It wasn’t unusual to see a man dressed in all manner of casual to formal but this man wore dark sunglasses and held folded cane in his hands. 

“Ah, yes.” The man said, turning towards the voice but not looking directly at Frank as he came closer. “Matthew Murdock. I have a reservation under Franklin Nelson.” 

Frank hesitated, Matthew Murdock was his next reservation but this man was definitely blind. Frank shook his head and shrugged. Frank forced out his best customer service voice. “Good morning, sir. My name is Frank Castle and I will be your pilot for your tour. Would you like to wait in our reception area for the rest of your party?” 

Matthew shook his head. “They’re not coming. It will just be me.” 

Frank could tell he was giving the man a strange look but couldn’t stop himself. He felt that anyone else would be expected to point out the obvious here and offer the partial refund that he would be owed for a canceled tour. But the man didn’t asked for one. Had implied that he was there for the flight and would like to go on it. 

“Okay.” Frank said, dropping some of the formality from his tone. “If you would follow me towards your two o’clock.” Frank waited long enough to watch the man unfold his cane, turn slightly and follow behind Frank. 

He got the man settled in the small plane before doing a double check over the systems. He ran his hands over the wings and took a visual inspection before climbing into the pilots seat. He ran through his mandatory safety speech, adding in approximate measurements from Matthew’s location to what was around him, and then the flight began. 

As the drew closer to the New York City skyline Frank knew he was supposed to go through a speech about the landmarks they could see and this and that but his passenger wouldn’t be leaning towards the window to get an eyefull. 

Frank cleared his throat awkwardly. “Uh, sir,” Frank began.

“Matt.” Matthew cut in. “Call me Matt, please.” 

“Yeah, Matt, okay.” Frank nodded to himself. He decided to drop all formality and be blunt with the unusual man. “I’m not sure what I should be doing here. Usually I just say ‘look to your left for this’ or ‘look at that to your right’ but that’s not gunna cut it with you.” 

Matt smiled for the first time since they met and Frank felt something twist in his gut. “Mr. Castle you don’t need to say anything at all if you don’t want to. Or you can talk about whatever you want.” 

“Can I ask you why you’re on a aerial sightseeing tour?” 

Matt chuckled and Frank felt his heart skip. He cursed himself and tried to ignore what his body was trying to say to him. 

“My friend was trying to flirt with the secretary across the hall from our office.” Matthew began. “He didn’t take into account asking her if she was terrified of flying, which she is, or that taking his blind best friend would be a third wheel.”

Frank felt himself chuckle softly. “Was she impressed when he told her?” 

“Thankfully for him, she was. They went to a Met’s game instead. But he forgot to cancel the reservation. Figured I’d try something new on his dime.” 

Frank nodded, watching the line where the sky meets the sea and feeling the comfort that only being in the air every brought him. “At least something worked out for everyone.” 

Frank watched out of the corner of his eye as Matthew leaned his head against the back of the seat and ran his finger tips along the window. Neither one of them spoke for the rest of the flight. 

Frank didn’t think about the odd flight beyond that week. It had been the best flight Frank has had since he left the service and Matthew had tipped him generously. But life between his job with the tourism company and his work at night as a security guard pushed the pleasant memory away. In fact it was almost a month later before he thought about Matthew Murdock again.

“You’ve got a reservation for one at 11am.” His boss told him. “They asked for you specifically.” 

Frank was curious but also a little worried it was going to turn out to be someone from his past that he had desperately tried to keep in his past. So it was much to his delight that at 10:45 Matthew Murdock walked through the doors to the reception area. Frank stood up from behind the desk and went out to greet him. 

“Matthew Murdock.” 

Matthew half crooked a smile at him, turning slightly to be facing more towards Frank. “Mr. Castle.” 

“Call me Frank.” 

“Frank.” 

Frank almost smiled. “If you’ll take six steps to your left I’ll be able to lead you to the plane.” 

They didn’t engage in small talk. Frank never was one for idle chatter, and Matthew didn’t seem to be either. The first half of the flight went pleasant enough. Frank didn’t strictly follow his usual flight path, sticking close enough to not get into any trouble with the FAA. 

“You probably think I’m weird for doing this.” Matthew suddenly said, breaking the silence. Frank didn’t know how to respond, so he didn’t. Matthew didn’t seem to expect a reply anyway and he went on talking after a pause. “I can’t see the skyline worth shit.” 

Frank looked over the skyline and couldn’t see the appeal. He’d never seen the appeal of flying over New York City. “You’re not missing much.” 

Matt huffed a laugh. “The air is colder up here.” He said. “And the plane vibrates in a way that no taxi or subway ever could. And it’s quiet. I mean, the plane is loud, but, other than that, it’s… peaceful.” 

Silence settled between them again as Matt leaned his head against the window next to him. The peace lasted all the way to the end of the flight. And if Frank slowed down a bit and extended the flight by fifteen minutes, neither of them brought it up. 

It became a monthly thing. Tuesday mornings at 11am Matthew Murdock reserved a flight for one with Frank Castle. At first they didn’t speak a whole lot on the 45 minute trip. But the easy companionship between them brought for more conversations. Matt told him of his best friend and law partner. Of how annoying it was sometimes for people to be overly aware of his disability. Frank told him of his time in the service. Of how coming home hadn’t really been a ‘coming home.’ They both spoke of what they enjoyed the most, and felt at ease enough to do a little more than skirt the topics of what they didn’t. 

It was six months in when Frank finally stopped lying to himself and admitted he had a crush. It was another two months before he realized that he might have a little more than a crush on him. It was four months after that that Frank knew that this had to stop. 

Frank greeted Matt, forcing the regret not to show as he escorted Matt to his plane. It had been a year since they’d first met. He tried to pretend like this last year hadn’t changed him, that Matt’s monthly flights hadn’t propelled Frank into seeking help and bettering himself. This was their last flight, not that Matt knew that yet, and Frank was scared it would be the last time he’d see the man who’d come to mean so much to him. 

“You’re really quiet.” Matt’s voice was questioning but not insistent. Showing his concern but also that he wouldn’t pry where he wasn’t wanted. “And not you’re usual ‘I’m flying a plane’ quiet.” 

Frank sighed hard, he didn’t want to do this in the air but he also couldn’t resist answering Matt when he used that tone. “Not now, Matt. Please. Just tell me how Foggy is dealing with the breakup?” 

Matt looked like he wanted to push, but knew Frank would tell him in his own time. He nodded slightly before going into a story about his best friend. 

Frank got out of the plane faster than he ever had once he had landed and parked. He opened the door for Matt but instead of letting him out, he just climbed into the back and sat down across from him. Matt waited, could feel Frank’s tension in the air and let him collect himself.

“I’m quitting this job, Matt. This was our last flight.” 

Matt’s face fell and his lips curved into a soundless ‘oh.’ 

“But I,” Frank’s heart was slammed up into his throat and he couldn’t think to get the words out. He cursed himself. He’d flown in active war zones and been shot out of the sky but this one question scared him out of his mind. “I don’t want to not see you. Do you want dinner? Romantically?” 

Frank cursed himself over and over in his head. What kind of phrasing was that? 

The relief that crossed Matt’s features was like a physical touch. “Yes. OH yes.” He laughed. “Breakfast, lunch, dinner, snacks. I don’t care. As long as it’s ‘romantically.’” 

Frank felt a decade of weight slip off his chest and he reached forward, squeezing Matt’s hands between his own. He was sad he’d no longer be flying every day, but he was elated he’d found someone who made him feel as if he had wings of his own.


End file.
